coder · david-fraley · Sep 12, 2025 · Sep 9, 2025 · Sep 9, 2025 · Sep 9, 2025
diff --git a/docs/images/screenshots/change-directory-vscode.png b/docs/images/screenshots/change-directory-vscode.png
diff --git a/docs/images/screenshots/quickstart-tasks-background-change.png b/docs/images/screenshots/quickstart-tasks-background-change.png
diff --git a/docs/tutorials/quickstart.md b/docs/tutorials/quickstart.md
@@ -1,17 +1,45 @@
 # Quickstart
 
-Follow the steps in this guide to install Coder locally or on a cloud-hosting
-provider, set up a workspace, and connect to it from VS Code.
+Follow the steps in this guide to get your first Coder development environment
+running in under 10 minutes. This guide covers the essential concepts and walks
+you through creating your first workspace and running VS Code from it. You can
+also get Claude Code up and running in the background!
 
-By the end of this guide, you'll have a remote development environment that you
-can connect to from any device anywhere, so you can work on the same files in a
-persistent environment from your main device, a tablet, or your phone.
+## What You'll Build
 
-## Install and start Coder
+In this quickstart, you'll:
+
+- ✅ Install Coder server
+- ✅ Create a **template** (blueprint for dev environments)
+- ✅ Launch a **workspace** (your actual dev environment)
+- ✅ Connect from your favorite IDE
+- ✅ Optionally setup a **task** running Claude Code
+
+## Understanding Coder: 30-Second Overview
+
+Before diving in, here are the core concepts that power Coder explained through
+a cooking analogy:
+
+| Component      | What It Is                                                                           | Real-World Analogy                         |
+|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
+| **You**        | The engineer/developer/builder working                                               | The head chef cooking the meal             |
+| **Templates**  | A Terraform blueprint that defines your dev environment (OS, tools, resources)       | Recipe for a meal                          |
+| **Workspaces** | The actual running environment created from the template                             | The cooked meal                            |
+| **Tasks**      | AI-powered coding agents that run inside a workspace                                 | Smart kitchen appliance that help you cook |
+| **Users**      | A developer who launches the workspace from a template and does their work inside it | The people eating the meal                 |
+
+**Putting it Together:** Coder separates who _defines_ environments from who _uses_ them. Admins create and manage Templates, the recipes, while developers use those Templates to launch Workspaces, the meals. Inside those Workspaces, developers can also run Tasks, the smart kitchen appliance, to help speed up day-to-day work.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- A machine with 2+ CPU cores and 4GB+ RAM
+- 10 minutes of your time
+
+## Step 1: Install Docker and Setup Permissions
 
 <div class="tabs">
 
-## Linux/macOS
+### Linux/macOS
 
 1. Install Docker:
 
@@ -20,7 +48,6 @@ persistent environment from your main device, a tablet, or your phone.
    ```
 
    For more details, visit:
-
    - [Linux instructions](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/linux-install/)
    - [Mac instructions](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/mac-install/)
 
@@ -39,6 +66,24 @@ persistent environment from your main device, a tablet, or your phone.
    You might need to log out and back in or restart the machine for changes to
    take effect.
 
+### Windows
+
+If you plan to use the built-in PostgreSQL database, ensure that the
+[Visual C++ Runtime](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-US/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist#latest-microsoft-visual-c-redistributable-version)
+is installed.
+
+1. [Install Docker](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/).
+
+</div>
+
+## Step 2: Install & Start Coder
+
+Install the `coder` CLI to get started:
+
+<div class="tabs">
+
+### Linux/macOS
+
 1. Install Coder:
 
    ```shell
@@ -55,14 +100,12 @@ persistent environment from your main device, a tablet, or your phone.
    coder server
    ```
 
-## Windows
+### Windows
 
 If you plan to use the built-in PostgreSQL database, ensure that the
 [Visual C++ Runtime](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-US/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist#latest-microsoft-visual-c-redistributable-version)
 is installed.
 
-1. [Install Docker](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/).
-
 1. Use the
    [`winget`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/winget/#use-winget)
    package manager to install Coder:
@@ -79,44 +122,61 @@ is installed.
 
 </div>
 
-## Configure Coder with a new Workspace
+Coder will attempt to open the setup page in your browser. If it doesn't open
+automatically, go to <http://localhost:3000>.
+
+- If you get a browser warning similar to `Secure Site Not Available`, you can
+  ignore the warning and continue to the setup page.
+
+If your Coder server is on a network or cloud device, or you are having trouble
+viewing the page, locate the web UI URL in Coder logs in your terminal. It looks
+like `https://<CUSTOM-STRING>.<TUNNEL>.try.coder.app`. It's one of the first
+lines of output, so you might have to scroll up to find it.
+
+## Step 3: Initial Setup
+
+1. **Create your admin account:**
+   - Username: `yourname` (lowercase, no spaces)
+   - Email: `your.email@example.com`
+   - Password: Choose a strong password
+
+   You can also choose to **Continue with GitHub** instead of creating an admin
+   account. The first user that signs in is automatically granted admin
+   permissions.
 
-1. Coder will attempt to open the setup page in your browser. If it doesn't open
-   automatically, go to <http://localhost:3000>.
+   ![Welcome to Coder - Create admin user](../images/screenshots/welcome-create-admin-user.png)
 
-   - If you get a browser warning similar to `Secure Site Not Available`, you
-     can ignore the warning and continue to the setup page.
+## Step 4: Create your First Template and Workspace
 
-   If your Coder server is on a network or cloud device, or you are having
-   trouble viewing the page, locate the web UI URL in Coder logs in your
-   terminal. It looks like `https://<CUSTOM-STRING>.<TUNNEL>.try.coder.app`.
-   It's one of the first lines of output, so you might have to scroll up to find
-   it.
+Templates define what's in your development environment. Let's start simple:
 
-1. On the **Welcome to Coder** page, to use your GitHub account to log in,
-   select **Continue with GitHub**.
-   You can also enter an email and password to create a new admin account on
-   the Coder deployment:
+1. Click **"Templates"** → **"New Template"**
 
-   ![Welcome to Coder - Create admin user](../images/screenshots/welcome-create-admin-user.png)_Welcome
-   to Coder - Create admin user_
+2. **Choose a starter template:**
 
-1. On the **Workspaces** page, select **Go to templates** to create a new
-   template.
+   | Starter                             | Best For                                                | Includes                                               |
+   |-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
+   | **Docker Containers** (Recommended) | Getting started quickly, local development, prototyping | Ubuntu container with common dev tools, Docker runtime |
+   | **Kubernetes (Deployment)**         | Cloud-native teams, scalable workspaces                 | Pod-based workspaces, Kubernetes orchestration         |
+   | **AWS EC2 (Linux)**                 | Teams needing full VMs, AWS-native infrastructure       | Full EC2 instances with AWS integration                |
 
-1. For this guide, use a Docker container. Locate **Docker Containers** and
-   select **Use template**.
+3. Click **"Use template"** on **Docker Containers**. Note: running this template requires Docker to be running in the background, so make sure Docker is running!
 
-1. Give the template a **Name** that you'll recognize both in the Coder UI and
-   in command-line calls.
+4. **Name your template:**
+   - Name: `quickstart`
+   - Display name: `quickstart doc template`
+   - Description: `Provision Docker containers as Coder workspaces`
 
-   The rest of the template details are optional, but will be helpful when you
-   have more templates.
+![Create template](../images/screenshots/create-template.png)
 
-   ![Create template](../images/screenshots/create-template.png)_Create
-   template_
+1. Click **"Save"**
 
-1. Select **Save**.
+**What just happened?** You defined a template — a reusable blueprint for dev
+environments — in your Coder deployment. It's now stored in your organization's
+template list, where you and any teammates in the same org can create workspaces
+from it. Let's launch one.
+
+## Step 5: Launch your Workspace
 
 1. After the template is ready, select **Create Workspace**.
 
@@ -127,14 +187,16 @@ is installed.
    ![getting-started-workspace is running](../images/screenshots/workspace-running-with-topbar.png)_Workspace
    is running_
 
-1. Select **VS Code Desktop** to install the Coder extension and connect to your
-   Coder workspace.
+## Step 6: Connect your IDE
 
-## Work on some code
+Select **VS Code Desktop** to install the Coder extension and connect to your
+Coder workspace.
 
 After VS Code loads the remote environment, you can select **Open Folder** to
 explore directories in the Docker container or work on something new.
 
+![Changing directories in VS Code](../images/screenshots/change-directory-vscode.png)
+
 To clone an existing repository:
 
 1. Select **Clone Repository** and enter the repository URL.
@@ -154,19 +216,71 @@ To clone an existing repository:
 
 1. You are now using VS Code in your Coder environment!
 
-## What's next?
+## Success! You're Coding in Coder
+
+You now have:
+
+- **Coder server** running locally
+- **A template** defining your environment
+- **A workspace** running that environment
+- **IDE access** to code remotely
+
+### What's Next?
+
+Now that you have your own workspace running, you can start exploring more
+advanced capabilities that Coder offers.
 
-Now that you have your own workspace, use the same template to set one up for a
-teammate.
+- [Learn more about running Coder Tasks and our recommended Best Practices](https://coder.com/docs/ai-coder/best-practices)
 
-Go to **Templates** and select **Create Workspace** and continue from Step 7 in
-[Configure Coder with a new workspace](#configure-coder-with-a-new-workspace).
+- [Read about managing Workspaces for your team](https://coder.com/docs/user-guides/workspace-management)
 
-After that, you can try to:
+- [Read about implementing monitoring tools for your Coder Deployment](https://coder.com/docs/admin/monitoring)
+
+### Get Coder Tasks Running
+
+Coder Tasks is an interface that allows you to run and manage coding agents like
+Claude Code within a given Workspace. Tasks become available when the Template for a Workspace has the `coder_ai_task` resource and `coder_parameter` named `AI Prompt` defined in its source code.
+In other words, any existing template can become a Task template by adding in that
+resource and parameter.
+
+Coder maintains the [Tasks on Docker](https://registry.coder.com/templates/coder-labs/tasks-docker?_gl=1*19yewmn*_gcl_au*MTc0MzUwMTQ2NC4xNzU2MzA3MDkxLjk3NTM3MjgyNy4xNzU3Njg2NDY2LjE3NTc2ODc0Mzc.*_ga*NzUxMDI1NjIxLjE3NTYzMDcwOTE.*_ga_FTQQJCDWDM*czE3NTc3MDg4MDkkbzQ1JGcxJHQxNzU3NzA4ODE4JGo1MSRsMCRoMA..) template which has Anthropic's Claude Code agent built in with a sample application. Let's try using this template by pulling it from Coder's Registry of public templates, and pushing it to your local server:
+
+1. In the upper right hand corner, click **Use this template**
+1. Open a terminal on your machine
+1. Ensure your CLI is authenticated with your Coder deployment by [logging in](https://coder.com/docs/reference/cli/login)
+1. Create an [API Key with Anthropic](https://console.anthropic.com/)
+1. Head to the [Tasks on Docker](https://registry.coder.com/templates/coder-labs/tasks-docker?_gl=1*19yewmn*_gcl_au*MTc0MzUwMTQ2NC4xNzU2MzA3MDkxLjk3NTM3MjgyNy4xNzU3Njg2NDY2LjE3NTc2ODc0Mzc.*_ga*NzUxMDI1NjIxLjE3NTYzMDcwOTE.*_ga_FTQQJCDWDM*czE3NTc3MDg4MDkkbzQ1JGcxJHQxNzU3NzA4ODE4JGo1MSRsMCRoMA..) template
+1. Clone the Coder Registry repo to your local machine
+
+```hcl
+git clone https://github.com/coder/registry.git
+```
+
+1. Switch to the template directory
+
+```hcl
+cd registry/registry/coder-labs/templates/tasks-docker
+```
+
+1. Push the template to your Coder deployment. Note: this command differs from the registry since we're defining the Anthropic API Key as an environment variable
+
+```hcl
+coder template push tasks-docker -d . --variable anthropic_api_key="your-api-key"
+```
 
-- [Customize templates](../admin/templates/extending-templates/index.md)
-- [Enable Prometheus metrics](../admin/integrations/prometheus.md)
-- [Deploy to Google Cloud Platform (GCP)](../install/cloud/compute-engine.md)
+1. **Create the new Workspace**
+   1. In your Coder Deployment, click **Workspaces** in the upper left hand corner
+   1. Click **New workspace** and choose **tasks-docker**
+   1. Fill in the Workspace name. Add in an AI Prompt for Claude Code like "Make the background yellow". Click **Create workspace**
+1. **See Tasks in action**
+   1. Once your workspace is running, click **View tasks** with your workspace. This will bring you to the Tasks view where you can see Claude Code (left panel), preview the sample application, and interact with the code in code-server. You might need to wait for Claude Code to finish changing the background color of the application.
+   ![Tasks changing background color of demo application](../images/screenshots/quickstart-tasks-background-change.png)
+   1. Navigate to the **Tasks** tab in the upper left hand corner
+   1. Try typing in a new request to Claude Code: "make the background red"
+   1. Let's exit out of this specific Task view, so we can see all the running tasks
+   1. You can start a new task by prompting in the "Prompt your AI agent to start a task" box. You can select which template to run this from, so tasks-docker here, and that will spin up a new Workspace
+
+Congratulation! You now have a Coder Task running. This demo has shown you how to spin up a task, and prompt Claude Code to change parts of your application. Learn more specifics about Coder Tasks [here](https://coder.com/docs/ai-coder/tasks).
 
 ## Troubleshooting